Join the DSA-LA Political Education Committee for our second class of the Political Education Committee’s 7-Part Night School: Study Series on Black Leftist Thought Black Nationalism and Self-Determination on Tuesday, April 19th at 6PM.
The effects of the African Diaspora in the United States posed a unique challenge to socialists and thinkers on the left. For a movement that is grounded in a material analysis of history, how does it develop an understanding of those descended from slavery when their past had been all but erased? And what tools can be used to help chart a way forward towards liberation for those still disaffected by societal structures upholding the racialized order enshrined by slavery?
In the early twentieth century, the Communist Party attempted to develop an understanding of the plight of black US workers – the Black Belt Thesis. This understanding of the US black population constituted an independent nation that deserves the right to autonomy, would help impact left-wing discussions of race for generations to come. In this module we will explore that legacy, starting with communist Harry Haywood’s writings from the first half of the twentieth century leading all the way to the work of Cooperation Jackson in the new millennium.
Readings:
- Harry Haywood, Negro Liberation (1948), 20 pages
- Amiri Baraka, Nationalism, Self-Determination, and Socialist Revolution (1982), 7 pages
- Kali Akuno, The Jackson-Kush Plan: The Struggle for Black Self-Determination and Economic Democracy (2006), 16 pages
The DSA-LA Political Education Committee is proud to present our original Night School for 2022, A Study Series on Black Leftist Thought.
Spanning March through June, this seven module series will introduce attendees to the writings, speeches, and perspectives of Black leftists through most of the twentieth century. Through original sources in writing, audio, and video, we will trace back the history of discourses introduced and developed by Black socialists, all of which have profound impact on our political landscape today.
Join the DSA-LA Political Education Committee for our second class of the Political Education Committee’s 7-Part Night School: A Study Series on Black Leftist Thought Black Nationalism and Self-Determination.
Check out more classes in this series: